Overwork

“People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.” (Ecclesiastes 5:16-17 NLT)

It is apple season in my region. For the past few weeks, I have been picking and processing apples. I have given away bags of them to friends and neighbors. I’ve made apple muffins, pies, and sauce. I have a freezer full of sliced apples for the winter. Yet, there is still more fruit on the trees. Since I am uncomfortable with wastefulness, I keep working. I am tired, and I have plenty of other things I need to do. 

My desire for productivity can lead to overwork. I set high expectations for all that I can accomplish. At the beginning of each day, I may plan to do ten different things. By noon that list will grow to twenty. Inevitably, there will be a few things I did not get around to doing. These unfinished tasks leave me feeling frustrated and discouraged. 

What if I intentionally skipped doing a few tasks that are not absolutely necessary? Homemade applesauce is nice, but it is not imperative that I use up all the apples. Similarly, there are other tasks I do each day that are not essential. If I examine my workload thoughtfully, I notice that much of what I do is habitual--and it is hard to change routines.

Feeling productive and useful brings a certain satisfaction while overwork leads to exhaustion. Simplicity requires thoughtfulness. Just as I declutter my home of unnecessary things, I may need to examine and eliminate some non-essential tasks each day to make time for rest.